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England captain ignores criticism of his approach as return to bowling nears
ESPNcricinfo Staff
Ben Stokes, the England captain, has vowed that his team will put aside the disappointment of their crushing 434-run loss in the third Test in Rajkot and head to Ranchi later this week fully focused on bouncing back for a win in the series 3-2.
After challenging India hard over the first two days of the contest, England’s resolve collapsed on days three and four, with their final 18 wickets falling for 217 runs, either side of a free India second innings that was illuminated by Yashasvi Jaiswal. undefeated 214.
The result was India’s biggest run win in Test history, and brought England’s ultra-positive approach under intense scrutiny, particularly in the wake of Joe Root’s fateful reverse against Jasprit Bumrah on the third morning. , which caused England to fall from a threatening overnight score of 207 for 2.
Stokes, however, insisted his team would not be swayed by outside opinion and would instead double down on the locker room mentality that has led the team to 14 wins in 21 games since the start of the 2022 home summer. including a remarkable 28-run win in the first Test at Hyderabad.
“Everyone has a perception and an opinion on things,” Stokes said during postgame introductions. “But again, the opinions of the people in the locker room are the ones that really matter to us.
“We know that things don’t always go exactly the way you want, but with 2-1 down in the series, we still have two games left, so we have a great opportunity to return home with the trophy at 3.” -2.
“We’ll make sure we move forward and focus on what’s ahead of us, because games can be won and lost in our heads. We’ll leave all the excitement and disappointment of this week, and move on to the next.”
Root’s first innings dismissal was described in one English newspaper as “the worst shot in Test history”, but criticism of England’s batting also encompassed Stokes’ dismissal for 41, caught in the deep while trying to hit to Ravindra Jadeja for six.
Duckett defends Root for first innings dismissal
Ben Duckett defends England’s positive approach to batting that saw Joe Root come out playing a reverse scoop
His departure at 299 for 6 led to a final collapse of 5 for 20 and a lead of 126 in India’s first innings. However, Stokes was adamant that the speed of England’s innings had been an important consideration as they were also required to bat. last in an increasingly spin-friendly pitch, and that his proven approach to hitting for power was the best means to achieve his goals.
“If you look at the situation we found ourselves in going into the third day, to have a chance to win we had to try to press the button after the lunch break,” he said. “They got some quick wickets, so we had to absorb the pressure that India threw at us there. But I, personally, felt it like an opportunity after lunch to go out and have ‘one of my days off’, we’ll call it.
“I have an incredible belief in myself that I can do that,” he added. “Just like I have an incredible belief in every individual there that, one day, they can change the game in our favor. We wanted to bowl at the end of the third day, that came a lot sooner than we wanted.” , but that’s how some things are. “Nothing goes the way you want all the time.”
Stokes also praised Ben Duckett’s “incredible” first innings knock of 153 off 151 balls, adding that “that was the tone we wanted to set for all of our innings.” In the end, however, he admitted that Jaiswal’s response, a second double century of the series with a world record 12 sixes, had been “phenomenal” to behold.
“Every game has been filled with multiple incredible things that I get to witness as a fan,” Stokes said. “Jaiswal’s double hundred was, honestly, it was just phenomenal to watch, even though we’re on the wrong side. Obviously we’re very disappointed to be on the wrong side of the result, but one thing we have – “We’re very good as a team and “I myself have also been able to leave everything that had happened.”
With a brief change towards the fourth Test, Stokes acknowledged that changes could be on the cards in England’s attack, with James Anderson and Mark Wood making big changes in the difficult Rajkot conditions. A potential boost for England, however, could come from the captain himself, who has been rehabilitating from recent knee surgery and believes he is not far away from returning to bowling for the first time since the Lord’s Test in June last year. .
“I’m not going to lie,” Stokes told TNT. “I feel very good. I managed to get my first ball 100% on day one or day two here. Me, as a person, I like to maybe rush too much. But yeah, things are feeling.” really good. But I have everything in my body to get used to bowling again. So I’m not saying no, but I’m not saying yes either.”